Maybe because I grew up in the midwest, but there are definitely some nice little cities that have near everything one could need and not just Chicago. Very nice areas in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Louisville (Yes, I know it is in KY but people live across the river too) and even smaller towns that still have acceptable living standards. Now, dealing with cold can suck.
I agree. I'm a native Californian and I plan on moving to the midwest, hopefully for residency. There are a lot of very sophisticated cities...granted, we're not talking SF, NY, or Paris, here...but there's
amazing food, a culture that increasingly seems to value creativity, and most of the entertainment stuff you would ever need. Seriously. I find microbrews from So Cal in places like Cleveland and Chicago that I can't find on tap in LA. That's crazy-talk. Like steak? I do. I've seen more concerts, performances, and art shows in the midwest cities than I have in Los Angeles (But, yeah, you'd have to head to NYC for things on the scale of The Met).
There's a middle class there, too. That's nice. The state isn't collapsing financially, that's also nice. And more than 50% of the population speaks English fluently, which I also appreciate. I went to Subway today and my friendly sandwich maker kept teling me how to ask for things in Spanish. I smiled and played along, but seriously, how 'bout we focus on not totally f-ing up my simple little sandwich first, and then we can joke about how to say "spinach" in Spanish. But I suppose I'm the only one that resents having to learn a new language just to order a sandwich in my own hometown?
Moreover, there is a type of class/sophistication amongst the upper crest in the midwest that just isn't found in LA or the OC. Or at least, the elite on the west is contaminated by an abundance of bleach-blonded, fully-implanted, Bentley driving obnoxiousness. These are the people that send good bottles of wine back with the waiter to put on a show for their friends, and would tell you that there's more art in LA but have never even been to the Ghetty. And none of these people seem to have ever worked for anything. I went to the Apple Store at the mall on Tuesday at 3 pm to find a parking lot full of Cayene's and a 3 1/2 hour line at the "genious bar." Something's wrong with that picture. ("You should have made an appointment online" Oh really? I would have, but MY FREAKING COMPUTER IS BROKEN. Sorry, that random Apple vent slipped in). In terms of medicine, more of your patients will have some form of insurance. They'll appreciate what you do and will show it more readily by virtue of not being entitled a-holes. I recently saw a study that surveyed physician satisfaction, and west coast was the lowest by a significant margin. It doesn't surprise me. For me, the cold is well worth the 50% cost of living. But, to each his own. By all means, move to the coast
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